In horde mode, your base and fortifications could mean life or death. Knowing where to go and how to set up is half the battle. These battle-torn maps have been the setting for many crushing defeats and glorious victories. Each and every wall and corner are etched into the history of Gears and the player's strategy.

5. River

The forgotten ruins of a forgotten town.

First appearing in Gears of War 2, River is a dilapidated town caught in the crossfire of war. Many cities were brought to their knees after Emergence Day. A mostly symmetrical map is connected by a bridge in the middle and a dried-up underground waterway below it. On each opposite side, there are two-story houses that overlook the area. A view of a once sprawling town now turned into a bullet-torn battlefield.

The best place to lay down fortifications is on either side’s indoor base. The houses act as a sniper’s nest and provide good cover for boss fights and enemy bombardments. Taking out incoming waves with long range and ambushing them in case they get inside. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

• Safety from boom-shot explosives
• Enemies are easier to track.
• Enemies are kept at a safe distance and on higher ground.

4. Canals

The frozen waterways are deceptive, you never know what's hiding behind every corner.

Devastated by the Locusts and COG, the canals are littered with trash, ice, and blood. This map is a sniper's wet dream. It's lined with long and narrow corridors consisting of three bridges on each end of the map and one in the middle. It has good cover such a large map, and for good reason. One wrong move and your brains could go flying.

A good base would be buckling down on either spawn point. Make the first bridge an outpost for your main damage dealers, and block off the hallways and canals below to create lanes for enemies to funnel into like lambs to the slaughter.

• Ammo near spawn points
• Lots of pillars, walls, and corners for defense
• Advantageous to both long-range and short-range playstyles

3. Reclaimed

A disheveled barnyard, host to many player graves.

Reclaimed is a deserted farmhouse from Gears of War 4. Settlements outside of the Coalition's reach are far and away, but not everyone wants to be a cog in the machine. After temporarily defeating the Locusts, the world of Sera was still not without conflict. It's a small, even map with an elevated balcony overlooking the map from above and a barn in the middle and lower parts of the map. It has a cottage and a tool shed on each side, respectively, and stairs leading to the balcony on each end.

This area can get crowded quickly. It's best to set up your base at either spawn. There is also the option to bunker up in the middle, but this location doesn’t provide much cover and has many enemy lanes from both sides of the map. Spatial awareness is key here. As they say, "location, location, location."

• Funnels enemies together
• 1-2 enemy lanes
• Easy fortification setup

2. Forge

The incinerator doesn't distinguish between friend and foe.

Set in a Pendulum War-era steelworks facility. This factory was used to produce war machines for the COG. Repurposed for a new enemy, but another war just the same. A steel reminder of this world's drought past and troubling future. The forge is a vast map. An incinerator sits on one end, while the control tower to ignite it sits across.

The map is pretty straightforward. The fabricators are best left at the far end of either spawn point. The tower can also be a viable base, but it has more lanes to defend. They are exit strategies if you get overpowered. Sometimes, surviving means retreating to fight another day.

• Unobstructed areas for clear waves
• 1-2 enemy lanes
• Routes to circle enemies

1. Blood Drive

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Formally known as Jacinto Medical International, Blood Drive is an abandoned hospital left for ruin after Emergence Day and the fall of the Hammer Of Dawn. Their hallowed hall and blood-stained floors still stand tall as a testament to COG resilience. Consisting of two stairways leading to towers on each end of the map for spawn points, with narrow halls and corridors that act as backdoors to the other end of the map. The middle is a long, open area with pillars and benches for cover.

This map gives you the most coverage and an exit strategy for the most difficult horde waves. Holing up on top of the stairs or inside the spawn point grants you protection from many of the bigger bosses that can't get in the entrance or shoot you through the windows. Blood Drive sets players up for victory.

• Easily escapable in a dire situation
• Natural defenses
• 1 enemy lane
• Invulnerable to certain bosses

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